Oil well plug



J. R. BRANCH OIL WELL PLUG Sept. 18, 1934.

Filed Nov. 7, 1933 I VIIIIIIII IIIIIIII rIIA "nimiii' a'i;

I 9 56676 m w n IIIPI I IIIIIII II IIIIII/IIIII IIIIII I IIIIII CIIII II I I II II IIIIIIIII III III III II II I ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 18, 1934 warren srA T'ES PATENT QFFl CE 1,974,172 01L WELL PLUG James R. Branch, Los Angeles, Calif. Application November 7, 1933, Serial No. 697,028 3 Claims. (Cl. 166- 13 This 'invention'relates to well plugs and has for the primary object the provision of a device of the above stated character which is operable from a well rigging so that it may. be lowered to a desired depth in a well and caused to expand and tightly wedge against the walls of the well to stop the flow of fluid or gas from said well and which 'may-beeasfly detached and left in the well so that the well rigging may be used for other purposes.

With these and other objects in view this invention consists in certain novel features of corn struction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter -more fully described and claimed. i

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference'is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a plug for wells constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the expansible element in elevation.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the expansible element released for contact with the Wedging element or mandrel.

Figure 4 is a similar view illustrating the expansible element forced into engagement with the Walls of the well by the mandrel.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating the connection of the expansible element to its supporting structure.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure '7 is a similar view taken on the line 77 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a similar view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a similar view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates the casing of a well with my invention positioned therein and adapted for operation by a conventional type of well rigging, not shown.

-My invention consists of a substantially conicalshaped mandrel or core 2 having its apex formed integrally with a screw threaded stem 3 threaded into a screw threaded socket 4 of a member 5. The member 5 is partially located within a sleeve 6 which includes telescopic sections splined to each other, as shown at 6, and the uppermost section is detachably secured to a gear housing 7. The upper end of the member 5 is reduced and screw threaded to be threaded into a head 8 jour- "gznaled within the housing 7 and an operating shaft 9, connectibleinany suitable manner to a drill rigging, extends into the gear housing 7 and head Sand is rotatable relative to the latter. A pinion 10 is formed integrally with the shaftQ and is located in'the head 8 and meshes with planetary gears 11 journaled to the head and which mesh'with a ring gear 12 secured to the gear housing '7. Thus-it will be seen that the rotation of the shaft 9 will rotate the head 8 and the latter rotates the member 5, it being under stood the housing '7 is held against rotation by means which will be hereinafter set forth.

An expansible member 13 constructed from lead or any other suitable material is provided with a bore 14, a portion of which receives the stem 3 and the other portion'is flared to receive the mandrel. -Adisc 15-is secured to the upper end of the expansible member 13 by pins 16, which also extend through a bridge 17 and form journals for dogs 18. The disc 15. is further secured to the bridge by fasteners 16' which also secure to the disc 15 spring fingers 17' adapted to frictionally engage the walls of the well casing 1 to hold the casing 6 and housing 7 against rotation during the initial operation of the device. The lower section of the sleeve 6 is secured to the bridge and is provided with slots to permit the dogs 18 to operate through.

A flange 20 is journaled on the member 5 and is apertured to receive guide rods 21, the upper ends of which are offset to overlie the flange and said rods extend through a releasing collar 22 and also into sockets formed in the disc 15 and the expansible member 13. The rods 21 also pass through openings in the dogs for holding them in an inoperative position with the springs 19 tensioned. The releasing collar 22 is threaded to the lower end of the member 5 and is provided with openings to receive guide rods 23 secured to the bridge 17 and their upper ends are offset to overlie the releasing collar 22.

In operation, the device is lowered into a well casing to a desired depth by the well rigging, not shown; with the various parts of the device associated with each other, as shown in Figure 1, that is, the expansible member 13 is spaced from the mandrel 2, the spring fingers 17 in contact with the well casing. The shaft 9 is rotated through the well rigging causing a turning of the member 5 which unthreads the releasing collar 22 therefrom allowing the expansible member 13 to drop into engagement with the mandrel 2 and simultaneously releasing the pins 21 from the dogs. The dogs being eccentrically mounted and spring pressed move into engagement with the walls of the well and tightly grip the latter. During further rotation of the member 5 by the shaft 9 the mandrel is drawn upwardly in the flared portion of the expansible member forcing the latter to expand tightly against the walls of the casing thereby stopping fiow of fluid or gas through the easing. A rotation of the shaft 9 in a reverse direction will unthread the head 8 from the member 5 so that the shaft 9 and the upper section of the sleeve 6 may be withdrawn leaving the expansible member and mandrel to stop the flow of the fluid or gas from the well.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A well plug comprising a conical-shaped mandrel, a stem on said mandrel, an expansible member having a bore to receive the stem with a portion thereof flared to extend over the mandrel, spring pressed eocentrically mounted dogs carried by the expansible member and normally urged outwardly of the latter, a member threaded to the stem, a sleeve journaled on said member, a head threaded to the member, an operating shaft to be driven by a well rigging extending into the head and rotatable relative to the latter, planetary gearing between the casing, head and drive shaft, means contacting with the walls of a well to place a drag on said casing, and a releasable means between the sleeve and the expansible member for normally retaining the dogs in an inactive position.

2. A well plug comprising a conical-shaped mandrel, a stem on said mandrel, an expansible member having a bore to receive the stem with a portion thereof flared to extend over the mandrel, spring pressed eccentrically mounted dogs carried by the expansible member and normally urged outwardly of the latter, a member threaded to the stem, a sleeve journaled on said member, a head threaded to the member, an operating shaft to be driven by a well rigging extending into the head and rotatable relative to the latter, planetary gearing between the casing, head and drive shaft, means contacting with the walls of a well to place a drag on said casing, guide rods carried by the sleeve and slidably received by the expansible member and extending through the dogs to hold the later in inoperative position, a releasing collar threaded to the member and having openings to receive said rods, and tie means between the collar and the expansible member.

3. A well plug comprising a conical-shaped mandrel, a stem on said mandrel, an expansible member having a bore to receive the stem with a portion thereof flared to extend over the mandrel, spring pressed eccentrically mounted dogs carried by the expansible member and normally urged outwardly of the latter, a member threaded to the stem, a sleeve journaled onsaid member, a head threaded to the member, an operating shaft to be driven by a well rigging extending into the head and rotatable relative to the latter, planetary gearing between the casing, head and drive shaft, means contacting with the walls of a well to place a drag on said casing, guide rods carried by the sleeve and slidably received by the expansible member and extending through the dogs to hold the latter in inoperative position, a releasing collar threaded to the member and having openings to receive said rods, and tie rods secured to the expansible member and connected to the releasing collar and capable of permitting the latter to slide in one direction relative thereto.

JAMES 'R. BRANCH.

ILUKE 

